Feeder for loading and unloading machines



Nov. 13 3923.

c. 0. BROWN ET AL FEEDER FOR LOADING AND UNLOADING MACHINES Filed July 19, 1921 ov. 13, r

ll his! CLARENCE 0. 1313911111 AND HENRY B. VJALKE'LZ, 0F LANCASTER, OHIO, ASSIGNORSQ BY .lViESNE ASSIGNMENTFS, it THE FAIRFIELD ENGINEERING" (30., OF MARION, OHIO,

A CORPORATION OF QHEO.

FEEDER FOR LJADING AND UNLOADING- T'ZZACHINES.

Application filed. July 19,

To aZZ whom 2'25 may concern.

Be it known that we CLARENCE 0. BROWN and HENRY B. WALKER, citizens of the United States, residents of Lancaster, in the county of Fairfield and State of Ohio, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Feeders for Loading and Unloading Machines; and we do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description thereof.

Our invention relates to loading and unloading machinery and is particularly con cerned with the construction of feeders for conveying loose material to bucket conveyers and the like.

The object of our invention is to provide a feeder of the class indicated which shall be well adapted to handle fine and highly abrasive material, such as sand and gravel.

One form of loading and unloading machine, as commonly constructed, consists of an endless chain conveyor to which the material to be handled is fed by means of a feeder which, in one well known type of apparatus, consists of a bottom plate or feeder plate reciprocating beneath a receptacle composed of side plates and a back plate. When such a feeder is used with sand. gravel or other fine abrasive material there has heretofore been considerable difliculty in handling the material because, unless the reciprocating bottom plate is fitted very closely to the side plates and back end wall of the feeder, the line material forces itself through, interferes with the operation of the feeder and fills .up the pit in which the feeder opcrates, thus causing considerable interfer ence and repeatedly shutting down the operation of the machine until it can be cleaned out.

i-rccordingto our present invention we avoid the diiiiculties mentioned by provid ing a close sliding fitbetween the side and back plates of the feeder and the reciprocating bottom plate. This close joint is produced by bending inwardly the lower edges of the stationary side'plates and attaching to these bent lower parts removable wear strips which overhang and rest upon bars or other projections which are formed on the reciprocating bottom plate. The wear strips are attached in such a way that when worn they can be reversed, and means are also provided; for adjusting the side plates them-- 1921. Serial No. 485,812.

selves so that the sliding joint between the side plates and bottom plate can be kept tight as long as the apparatus remains in service.

In the accompanying drawing which shows the form in which we now prerer to make use of our invention, Fig. 1 is a side view, partly in elevation and partly in section,

showing a portion of an inclined bucket conveyer equipped with my improved feeder; F 2 is an enlarged horizontal sectional view through the feeder, the section being taken substantially on the line 2-2, Fig. 3; and Fig. 3 is an enlarged vertical sectional view, the section being taken substantially on the line 33, Fig. 1. Fig. 4: is an enlarged vertical section of one of the side plates.

In the drawing the numeral 2 designates inn general way the lower end of an inclined bucket conveyer which is located in a pit 3 below the ground level at and is provided with a receiving hopper 5 into which the material to be elevated is delivered by means of a feeder located in a pit 6 adja cent to the pit 3 and beneath railway tracks 7.

The construction of the feeder is best shown in Fig. 3. The pit 6 is lined with railroad ties 8. or the like, to which are attached angle bars 9 tiat supporta feeder frame consisting of vertical channel bars 10 and horizontal channel bars 11 tied together with transverse braces 11*. in this frame is a boX-like receptacle consisting of side plates 12. a back plate 13 and a reciprocating bottom plate 14. The bottom plate 141 is provided with wheels 15 which rest-upon the upper flanges of the channel bars 11, the channel bars thus acting as tracks for the bottom plate 1 1-. A reciprocating movement is imparted to the bottom plate 1 1 by means of a pitman 16 which is connected up to a crank 17 on a crank shaft 18. Power is transmitted to the crank shaft 18 through intermediate gearing from a suitable motor 19.

As best shown in Fig. 3, the side walls 12 of the feeder are spaced from the vertical channels 10 by means of washers or strips 20 which are secured in place by means of the bolts 21 which attach the side plates 12 to the channels 10. The lower portions of the side plates 12 are bent inwardly, as shown. at 22 and wear strips 23 are secured to the bent lower lportions 22 of the side plates by means ot-bolts 2 1 which extend through openings in the central line of each wear strip 23, so that whenthe wear strips become worn they-1nay be removed and reversed so as to present a fresh wearing surface.

Secured to the top of the reciprocating bottom plate 14, near its side edges, are two square bars 25, the upper and inner edges oi? which engage beneath the wear strips 23 so that the wear strips, as shown, overhang the bars 25.

The back plate 13 is secured near its edges to vertical strips 30 which are bolted or riveted to the side flanges of the adjacent vertical channels 10. The attachment between the side plates 13 and the strips 2-30 is preferably made by means of bolts 31 extending through openings in the strips 30 and through vertical slots formed in'the back plate 13, as shown in Fig. 3. so as to permit the back plate to be adjusted toward the bottom plate 14 to compensate for wear. The back plate 13 is provided with notches 33 to admit the square bars 25, and these notches are so formed as to closely lit the bars 25.

It will be clear from the foregoing description that the back wall and bottom plate cooperate to prevent even the finest material froniescaping in any considerable quantity. The spring of the sheet metal composing the side plates causes the wear strips 23 to fit closely against the bars 25 and the tightness of this joint is increased by the weight of the material. which is delivered into the feeder and which tends to press the bent lower parts of the side plates down-,

ward and outward. A further adjustment is provided by the washers or strips 20 which, when the wearing parts are somewhat worn, may be removed so as to allow the side plates 12 to be drawn out further by means of the bolts 21 so as to fit the pro jecting wear strips 28 against the bars 25. As stated above, the wear strips are made reversible by placing their attaching bolts 24 in the center of the strips so that when the lower edge wears out the strips are merely turned around. bringing the upper edge into position to receive the wear.

Various modifications can doubtless be devised without departing fronrthe principles of our invention, and we therefore wish it understood that our invention includes all such modifications as fall within the scope of the appended claims.

We claim as our invention:

1. A feeder for loading and unloading machines comprising side plates having their lower edges bent inwardly, wear strips reversibly secured to and extending beyond the bent lower portions of the said side plates, a bottom plate adapted to reciprocate beneath the said side plates, and parallel rectangular bars secured to the top of the said'bottom plate near the side edges thereof, the said bars having their upper and inner edges in contact With the under side of the said wear strips.

2. A feeder for loading and unloading machines comprising side plates having their lower edges bent inwardly, wear strips secured beneath and extending beyond the bent lower portions of thesaid side plates, fastenings extending centrally through the said wear strips, whereby the said strips may be reversed when worn, a bottom or feeder plate adapted to reciprocate beneath the said side plates, and bars secured to the top of the said bottom plate near the side edges thereof, the said bars engaging the under sides of the said wear strips.

3. A feeder for loading and unloading machines comprising side plates having their lower edges bent inwardly, wear strips secured to and extending beyond the bent lower portions of the said side plates, a bottom or feeder plate adapted to reciprocate beneath the said side plates, rectangular bars secured to the top of the said bottom plate near the side edges thereof and engaging beneath the said wear strips, a back plate having notches to admit the said barsand means for adjusting the said back plate toward the'said'bottom plate.

4:. A feeder for loading and unloading machines comprising'spaced horizontal supports, a frame suspended from said supports, and comprising spaced vertical bars, horizontal bars carried by said vertical bars and transverse braces'connecting said lastnamed horizontal bars, a receptacle within the said 'frame comprising side plates, a back plate and areciprocable bottom plate, said side plates having their lower edges bent inwardly, wear strips removably se-' cured to the said bent lower edges of the said side plates, and rectangular bars carried by said bottom plate and having their inner corners in engagement with the under sides of said wear strips.

In testimony whereof, we, the said CLAR- ENCE 0. BROWN and HENRY B. \NALKE'R, have hereunto set our hands.

CLARENCE 0. BROWN. HENRY B. WALKER. 

